Cats for hire
Several hours after the customers and merchants have gone home and the lights are dim, the cats start their patrol in the Los Angeles Flower Market June 25, 2015. The Working Cats program is using unsocialized “feral” cats in a program to keep rodents away from the market.
(Mark Boster / Los Angeles Times)
The Working Cats program is using community cats in a program to rid the Los Angeles Flower Market of rodents. The cats don’t kill the rodents they manage to repel them by their scent.
(Mark Boster / Los Angeles Times)
Shoppers in the Los Angeles Flower Market are unaware of the team of cats who patrol behind the scenes to keep rodents out of the area. The cats remain out of sight while customers and merchants are present. Their scent is enough to repel any possible rodents who may want to intrude.
(Mark Boster / Los Angeles Times)
One of the most recent cats to join the group of The Working Cats program at the Los Angeles Flower Market relaxes in his kennel while he gets used to his environment. The cats in the program are used to rid the Los Angeles Flower Market of rodents.
(Mark Boster / Los Angeles Times)Advertisement
Community Cat Coordinator Anne Macleod checks on a pair of recently arrived cats she is acclimating in two kennels on a plywood shelf in the rear of the Los Angeles Flower Market.
(Mark Boster / Los Angeles Times)
During store hours, the cats stay hidden. But after hours, they begin their patrol to keep rodents away from the Los Angeles Flower Market. The cats’ scent is enough to keep the rodents away from the market.
(Mark Boster / Los Angeles Times)